Eight Arsenal players back early amid key defender progress update

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Eight members of Arsenal's first-team squad are set to be back on the grass at Sobha Realty Training Centre earlier than the rest of the group as Mikel Arteta begins preparations for Saturday's Premier League lunchtime fixture against Leeds United at the Emirates.

According to football.london, Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Noni Madueke and Piero Hincapie all completed training sessions last week, with goalkeepers Kepa Arrizabalaga and Illan Meslier also staying behind after being left out of their respective national squads.

Teenage defender Marli Salmon is another who has already been working with the senior group. He withdrew from England Under-18 duty with a minor issue but recovered in time to train at London Colney during the break.

Rice's recharge trip

The most notable name on the early-return list is Declan Rice, who pulled out of England duty for workload management reasons. The midfielder attended the Three Lions' 3-2 Nations League defeat to Spain before, per the same report, flying to Dubai to recharge.

Rice has not featured since Arsenal's 3-0 defeat at Brighton, and his reintegration will be decided by Arteta and his coaching staff rather than any fixed timetable.

With the bulk of the squad scattered across the globe, Arsenal have again leaned on the academy to fill out sessions. Theo Julienne, Elijah Upson and Igor Tyjon have all been around Arteta over the past fortnight, the sort of exposure that has become a feature of international windows under the Spaniard.

Saliba 'making clear progress'

William Saliba, meanwhile, remains sidelined as he recovers from a back fracture, though football.london report the Frenchman is making clear progress in his rehabilitation. No return date has been attached to the centre-back.

Elsewhere, Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis and Ezri Konsa all returned to the club early due to various fitness problems, which gives Arteta a handful of situations to assess before the weekend.

Captain Martin Odegaard has been handed time off after playing every single minute of Norway's four Nations League matches. Gabriel Magalhaes and Bruno Guimaraes are also resting following long-haul trips to Australia and India with Brazil, with their fixture in Calcutta on Saturday leaving a tight turnaround before Leeds. Jurrien Timber was an unused substitute as Holland beat Serbia 2-1 in Eindhoven on Sunday.

A significant chunk of the squad still has work to do before reporting back. Myles Lewis-Skelly, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka face Czechia on Tuesday, while Mikel Merino, David Raya and Martin Zubimendi travel to Croatia on the same night.

Riccardo Calafiori is in action against Turkey on Monday evening, and Viktor Gyokeres faces Romania as he chases a fourth goal in four matches for Sweden.

Arteta will have only a short window with a full complement of players before the Leeds fixture, making the early returnees a useful head start as Arsenal look to hit the ground running after a three-week pause.